


Back In Town

by BorgiaBabe



Series: High [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, Childhood Friends, F/F, F/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28558782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BorgiaBabe/pseuds/BorgiaBabe
Summary: The One Where Nora Comes BackAfter five years Nora is back and it’s almost as if nothing has changed. Almost.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Malachai "Kai" Parker, Bonnie Bennett/Nora Hildegard
Series: High [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091318
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Back In Town

When Bonnie slips out of the house quietly, careful not to wake her snoring father on the couch, to go for a walk the last thing she expects to hear as her feet hit the pavement is the sound of Caroline laughing at the end of the block. 

“Hey Care,” Bonnie says walking up to her. As she gets closer and her best friend shifts, Bonnie realizes she isn’t talking on her cell phone. Instead, a familiar looking brunettewearing bright yellow shorts and a matching floral tube top is standing there grinning, gathering her hair off the nape of her neck with one hand. 

“Bonnie!” Caroline nearly bounces in excitement. “Its Nora! She’s back.” 

It takes flipping through the faces in her memory’s Rolodex for a few moments for Bonnie to remember. 

“Oh my God,” she exclaims. “Didn’t you move to Cuba or something?” 

“Hawaii,” Nora corrects her grinning. 

“Perks of being a military brat,” Caroline teases. 

“Yeah, once in a while we get a couple of years in paradise. Makes all the years in places like Utah and Kansas worth it. Almost.”

Caroline sits on the grass heavily and Bonnie finally notices her outfit; her cheer practice shorts, a fitted tank top, and dirty white sneakers. 

“Yeah, I found her literally doing backflips,” Nora says to Bonnie. Her slited amber eyes take in Bonnie’s face, her own expression settling into something like a smile. “You look amazing.”

“Oh,” and Bonnie wasn’t expecting that. “Th- thanks,” she stutters suddenly feeling self-conscious in an old pair of burgundy shorts and an oversized t-shirt that’s screaming Save The Planet. “You too. You look great; you’re almost as dark as me,” she jokes. Nora is definitely still on the pale side, but the fact that she managed to catch any color that settled so nicely is a miracle. 

“Oh shut it- I’m still the color of a full moon,” Nora laughs and grabs Bonnie’s arms to pull her down to lay between her and Caroline on the grass. 

“Why didn’t you call, or text, or something saying you were coming back?” Bonnie asks.

She feels Nora shrug. “Honestly? I didn’t think anyone would care. It’s senior year! You all did, what, the last five years without me?” 

“ _ I’d _ have liked a call,” Caroline emphasizes and Nora laughs. 

“Actually  _ you_, I just wanted to surprise you.  And see if I could catch you without Kat lurking around.”

Bonnie laughs. “Oh, she’s still lurking. She’s probably just tormenting Elena right now, finally giving us a break.”

“Guys,” Caroline sighs. “She’s not that bad-“ 

Both Bonnie and Nora crack up at this. “You _have_ to say that,” Bonnie says. “You’re her best friend. Plus, if she’s tormenting Lena right now it’s in your honor.”

“Whatever,” Caroline dismisses Bonnie’s words and Bonnie laughs again.

“Why would-?“

“Long story,” Bonnie and Caroline say at the same time. 

Nora nods. “Gotcha. I would bet my passport that she’s still a raging bitch, though.” Nora says. “She gave me a black eye in dodge ball  _on purpose_ in fourth grade. Poor Elena. How did identical twins come out so...”

Bonnie shrugs. Elena is nice enough, but she and Bonnie aren’t particularly close. Kat on the other hand is a legend all her own. You didn’t have to _know_ Katherine Gilbert to  know  Katherine Gilbert.

“Anyway,” Nora lights up. “Now that I know I haven’t been totally forgotten at least I know I’ll have a few friends at school still. That’s good...” She swings her hair away from her nape again, the setting sun finally cooling the softly blowing air down a little. The freckles on her nose are faint, but scattered in an adorably haphazard way and her mildly sweet smelling body butter wafts in the breeze. Her eyes are warm like fresh honey and Bonnie realizes that she’s staring when Nora leans forward a little.

She takes one of Bonnie’s curls and pulls it gently. “Your hair grew so much.” She wraps a dark curl around her finger. “It’s so pretty. I’m jealous.”

“Thanks,” Bonnie says, her cheeks warming up a little. The way Nora looks at her makes her desperately want to return the compliment.

“We’re not the only ones who got hot,” she hears herself saying. “Look at that bod,” she gestures at the faint etching of a four pack on Nora’s toned stomach. 

“That’s what I told her,” Caroline says. “And look at those arms. And back! I told her to try out for cheer this year.” 

“This late?” Bonnie asks surprised. Caroline doesn’t even like the newbie JV’s who have been in gyms for years trying out. 

“I did cheer in Hawaii,” Nora says absently, still playing with Bonnie’s hair. 

“She’ll be great,” Caroline says, closing her eyes, sounding tired.

“Are you on the team too?” Nora asks Bonnie.

Caroline snorts. “You wouldn’t catch her dead in a Mystic Falls cheer skirt.”

“Too bad,” the other girl says. She unravels her finger slowly from Bonnie’s hair. She begins to stand 

“Where are you going?” Caroline gripes. “You just got here.”

“I was on my way to Twinkles, for a box of those cupcakes. With the crackles on top. Want to come?”

“Yeah,” Bonnie nods and stands up too. “I was headed that way; want some company?”

Nora smiles and links their arms. “Definitely.

“Coming?” Nora asks Caroline where she is still collapsed on the grass.  


“No, I’m too gross right now. I’ve been practicing for over two hours. I need a shower. Bad.”

“You sure?”

“Very.” She lays like a starfish on her perfectly green lawn, eyes still closed. “But eat a cupcake for me.”

“Or I could just bring you one,” Bonnie laughs. 

“No, eat it for me,” Caroline insists. “I can’t afford the extra carbs and sugar right now”

Bonnie rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll call you later?”

“Mhm,” Caroline hums.

“Don’t fall asleep in the grass, Care,” Nora calls into the air as she and Bonnie walk away. 

—

“When did you get back?” Bonnie asks Nora as they make their way to the bakery. 

“Like, two weeks ago?”

“What have you been doing that whole time?” Nora shrugs. “Unpacking, shopping for new clothes, stressing about school, watching The Office.” Bonnie nods. 

She and Nora weren’t very close before the other girl’s father got transferred to another base, but they were friends. It wasn’t unusual to see them at the same lunch table or laughing and dodging volleyballs instead of hitting them in gym class together. But walking arm in arm with her this time feels different. Warmer. 

And Bonnie doesn’t mind it all. She rarely feels this at ease anymore these days. 

“Something about you is different,” Nora says as she turns to look at Bonnie’s profile.

“I’m sure there is,” Bonnie says evenly. “Who do you have for each class and when on the first day?”

“Saltzman for Lore, Apollo for Charts, Masterson for Mundane Astrology,” Nora starts listing without missing a beat. They continue comparing schedules until they make it to Twinkles, and Nora grins up as etheral drips of purple and blue raindrops fall and dissapate around them as the entrance bell sounds.

“Great Creator, I missed it here,” she murmurs. “Magic, it’s everywhere right? But you’d never see this in Utah.”

“What, a magic infused bakery?” Bonnie asks, confused. They were everywhere. It was unheard of for mood and flavor infusions to be left out of any cooking let alone baking.

“Hah,” Nora scoffs. “Forget the bakery; the bell itself would be burned in the damn town square.”

Bonnie raises her eyebrows at that. She knew some still held on to the devotions of the old books of Creation from all the dying religions,but she never expected it to be like that, especially these days. 

“So what do they do to the actual Gifted ones? “

“They kind of stick together. No one actually bothers them,” she explains as she scans the menu board. “But that’s because everyone was afraid. It was so weird over there. I was so glad when Dad got transferred here when he did.” 

Bonnie can’t imagine what’s worse; having a Calling that won’t work in a world where it’s celebrated or having a Calling that works just fine in a world where it makes you a freak. 

“Hey Bon, hey Nora.” Matt is arranging the display case as they walk up to the counter.

“Matty knew you were here before I did? Before  _ Caroline _ did?” Bonnie jokes.

“Where did you think I come to watch The Office? The wi-fi people were taking forever.” Matt’s bright blue eyes are even more striking against the powder blue of his uniform shirt that matches the awning outside.  


“It was nice to have company for a while.” He says, wiping down the glass dome. 

“Aren’t you off soon?” Nora asks.

“An hour,” he confirms, closing the glass case carefully. 

“Hang out with me and Bonnie. And Caroline. We can go back and make her eat these cupcakes while everyone fills me in on what’s going on. I don’t want to be lost the first day.”

“I’m in.” Matt says. “Bon?”

— 

It wasnt what she had planned for the night but an hour and a half later they are all sitting underneath a twilit sky on Carolines front lawn, getting grass stains on the back of their shirts as they roll around in laughter. 

“It’s not funny.” Bonnie says wiping away tears. “I almost broke my leg.”

“But you didn’t. And we didn’t get caught so win-win,” Nora says smiling widely up at the purple night sky fading into inky blue. “Hawaii was fun. And pretty. The nature magic clung to everything... But I missed this. It never felt like...home.”

Matt grabs a cupcake and takes a big bite. “Yeah, well a lot of us can’t wait to get out of here.”

Caroline leans over and take the rest of the cupcake out of his hand. “Amen. Texas here I come.”

“Texas? “Nora asks, eyebrows high. 

“Navarro,” Caroline says simply. “I’m  going to make that squad.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Nora says.

“You really should come out this year.”

“I might. Maybe.” She pulls out her phone and looks at the time. “Shit, I gotta get home.” She sighs and tucks her phone away.

“Me too,” Bonnie says. “I’m surprised my dad hasn’t called yet. He’s supposed to be leaving for work soon. I’ll walk with you.” She snags the last cupcake and springs to her feet. “I’ll see you guys later?”

“Yeah.” Caroline waves.

“See, ya,” Matt nods.

The journey home isn’t long and they walk it in a comfortable silence. Once they get to Bonnie’s porch Nora pulls her phone. “Here. Take my number.” Bonnie does and after tucking her phone back away in her pocket her green eyes meet Nora’s amber. “I had a lot of fun today.”

“Me too,” Bonnie says, feeling a sudden need to fidget. Instead she bites her lip, letting it go the moment she realizes what she’s doing.

“Call me?” Nora says and Bonnie nods. She’s surprised when Nora hugs her, but she returns it, her stomach doing an odd flip. “Later,” Nora says before skipping down Bonnie’s front steps, heading towards her own house.


End file.
